New APAP User - Now with OSCAR Data

Hi all,

After years of snoring and suspected sleep apnea, I finally completed a sleep study to find I have severe sleep apnea with an AHI of 42. Since then I've lurked here, ApneaBoard, and Reddit for a while; doing all the reading I can to fine tune my experience and give myself the best chance possible to maximise my therapy.

I have been on APAP for 4 weeks now, it's been a slow process to get used to the therapy and I have had some great nights where I wake up refreshed, though most nights I struggle and either take the mask off in my sleep, or wake up, remove the mask and fall back asleep without it.

I've likely been overzealous with my adjustments trying to find that perfect range, stemming from the sleep technician providing me with a range of 5-17 (low effort, range to wide), I had some good nights on that range, though most nights waking up feeling breathless. Since then I've been researching, reading forums, and started using OSCAR; the software has been great and I love having the data to track my progress, though I feel I've made too many adjustments and am now looking for a baseline to 're-start' my journey.

Starter Settings - ResMed AirSense 11 Auto
Mode: APAP
Pressure Min: 5.00 cmH2O
Pressure Max: 17.00 cmH2O
Climate Control: Auto
EPR: Full Time @ 3 cmH2O
Mask: Pillows
Ramp: On Auto
Response: Standard
Smart Start: On
Smart Stop: On

I was not using OSCAR at this stage, had a few good nights, though a lot of nights waking up breathless

Current Settings - ResMed AirSense 11 Auto
Mode: APAP
Pressure Min: 10.00 cmH2O
Pressure Max: 17.00 cmH2O
Climate Control: Auto
EPR: Full Time @ 3 cmH2O
Mask: Pillows (has been suggested I try Full Face)
Ramp: On Auto
Response: Standard
Smart Start: On
Smart Stop: On

OSCAR data shows a lot of RERA and CA events, leading me to believe the pressure settings to be incorrect, though less issues waking up breathless. From the little I know about interpreting OSCAR data, I am leaning towards a min. pressure of 9 and a max pressure of 13 - with my Median @ 9.92 and 95% @ 11.02 from recent OSCAR data of a successful night, though I wonder if a min. of 9 is too high. As I have changed settings up and down this will also affect my stats so I understand this is essentially flying blind currently.

I would be most grateful if someone is able to provide some input on a back to basics starting point, and I am prepared to undertake an actual self titration to determine my best settings for the best sleep. Now knowing the long term affects of sleep apnea (Alzheimer's) I am dedicated to optimising my sleep from today. I do have OSCAR data should anyone wish to review, finally, if you got this far - thank you.

EDIT: Grammar, added OSCAR screenshots.

Cheers,
AS

asian_string wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 02, 2025 6:47 pm

I was not using OSCAR at this stage,

asian_string wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 02, 2025 6:47 pm

OSCAR data shows a lot of RERA and CA events

so, either you're using oscar or not. pls DO use it and post some charts.

viewtopic/t172378/StickyIf-you-want-CPA ... Gquot.html

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 02, 2025 8:10 pm

so, either you're using oscar or not. pls DO use it and post some charts.

viewtopic/t172378/StickyIf-you-want-CPA ... Gquot.html

You might have missed it, though I mentioned I was not using OSCAR at that stage, or, in that point in time of my therapy. I have since been using an SD card in the machine and have OSCAR data on hand.

I do have OSCAR data should anyone wish to review, finally, if you got this far - thank you.

I have attached a few nights worth of data, I'm only new and there are many variables to account for, I can also adjust the visible data or adjust the panels to include more data should anyone prefer a different layout. Any assistance from the community would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
AS